Hanger bar assembly



Dec. 22, 1964 S. P. BELSINGER HANGER BAR ASSEMBLY Filed April 8, 1963 2Sheets-Sheet l INVENTOR. Samuel R Belsmger ATTORNE Y8 Dec. 22, 1964 s.P. BELSINGER 3,162,314

HANGER BAR ASSEMBLY Filed April 8, 1965 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 fi w Q ll 241241 INVENTOR. Samuel R Belsinger ATTORNEYS United States Patent Office3,162,314 Pa en d D .2., 18

3,162,314 HANGER BAR ASSEMBLY Samuel P. Belsinger, Atlanta, Ga.,assignor, by mesne assignments, to Belsinger, Inc, Atlanta, Ga, acorporation of Georgia Filed Apr. 8, 1963, Ser. No. 271,084 8 Claims.(Ci. 211-124) This application is a continuation-in-part of my copendingapplication, Serial No. 862,134, filed December 28, 1959, now U.S.Patent No. 3,084,804, granted on April 9, 1963.

This invention relates to hanger bars and is more particularly concernedwith a hanger bar assembly suitable for installation on a wardrobe typecontainer or closure member.

In the past many and various types of hanger bars employed with wardrobeboxes and the like to support articles of clothing in an uprightposition within the closure have been suggested. Generally speaking, thehanger bars of the prior art have either employed mechanisms, such asnuts and bolts, for securing a hook retaining element against thehangers on a hanger bar or have relied upon the flat lower surface ofthe top closure of the container to retain the hangers in place on thebar.

Briefly, the present invention includes a hanger bar assembly comprisinga hanger bar having hook members at its end portions and clampingmembers intermediate its end portions. Cooperating with the bar forretaining the hooks of garment hangers and being yieldably receivedbetween the clamping elements is a rectangular hook retaining memberwhich is substantially the same length and width as the hanger bar andis biased downwardly by being retained by the clamping members. Theclamping elements protrude upwardly and inwardly over the upper surfaceof the hanger bar and the hook retaining element, in such a manner thatthe portion of the clamping elements, adjacent the hanger bar formcooperating portions which retain the retaining member. In the hangerbar assembly of the present invention, the bar portion itself is spacedby the hook members a predetermined distance below the surface of thetop closure of the box, while the retaining member occupies only a spaceadjacent the upper surface of the bar portion itself. Thus, there isspace above the retaining member, which is suitable for receivingflanges of the top flaps of the box, as illustrated in my US. Patent2,974,779. In the preferred embodiment of the present invention, eitherthe clamping elements or the hook retaining member, is sufficientlyresilient and flexible that the retaining member may be moved into andout of engagement with the hanger hooks on the hanger bar, the retainingmember being in its biased condition when positioned properly forretaining the hooks of the hangers. The hanger bar assembly alsoincludes an auxiliary hook element on the hook members, whereby aplurality of plies of the upper edge of a fibre board box may be engagedsimultaneously by the hook member and the auxiliary hooks.

Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide ahanger bar assembly which is inexpensive to manufacture, durable instructure and efficient in operation.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a hanger barassembly which may be easily and quickly assembled into a lockingposition so as to retain the hooks of the hangers in place on the bar onthe hanger bar assembly, the hanger bar assembly being easilydisassembled so that the hooks of the hangers may be disengaged from thebar.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a hanger barassembly which may be manufactured in the usual machine shop, employingsimple dies and welding equipment.

Another object of the present; invention is to provide a hanger barassembly which will positively clamp the hooks of the hangers in placeso as to restrain the swinging movement and so as to prevent the hangersfrom being inadvertently dislodged from the hanger bar.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a hanger barassembly which may be manufactured ens tirely from sheet metal material.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a hanger barassembly which is particularly adapted for receiving both hangers whichhave linear hook portions and hangers which have circular hook portions.

Other objects, features and advantages of the present invention willbecome apparent from the following description when taken in conjunctionwith the accompanying drawings wherein like characters of referencedesignate corresponding parts throughout the several views and wherein:

FIG. 1 is a fragmentary vertical sectional view of a wardrobe type fibreboard container to which is attached a hanger bar assembly constructedin accordance with the present invention, the bar of the hanger barassembly receiving the linear hook portions of the hooks of the hangersthereon.

FIG. 2 is an enlarged cross sectional view taken along line 22 inFIG. 1. H

FIG. 3 is a view similar to FIG. 2 but showing a modified form of thepresent invention, wherein the hanger bar receives the circular hooks ofthe hangers thereon.

FIG. 4 is an exploded fragmentary perspective view of a portion of thehanger bar assembly shown in FIG. 1.

FIG. 5 is a top plan view of a modified form of hanger bar assemblyconstructed in accordance with the present invention.

FIG. 6 is a side elevational view of the hanger bar assembly shown inFIG. 5 and showing the retaining member as it is being installed on thehanger bar.

FIG. 7 is a cross sectional view taken along line 7-7 in FIG. 6, thehanger bar being shown receiving the linear portion of the hook of ahanger.

Referring now in detail to the embodiments chosen for the purpose ofillustrating the present invention, it being understood that in itsbroader aspects, the present invention is not limited to the exactdetails herein depicted, numeral 8 denotes generally the hanger bar forreceiving the hooks of the hangers 9. The bar 8 is a channel memberhaving a web portion 10 and a pair of spaced opposed sides 11 and 12which are essentially parallel to each other and normal to web 16, thesides 11 and 12 depending from the edges of web 10 and being afiixedintegrally to the web 10 so as to form an inverted U-shaped member incross section.

At each end of the bar 8 are hook members including opposed flaringportions 13 which curve outwardly and then upwardly, the edges 14 of theflaring portion 13 merging with the bottom edge of the sides 11 and 12,and then diverging from each other as the flaring portions 13 extendupwardly and outwardly. 'Flaring portions 13 of each body memberterminate above the web 10, generally merging with an inner bearingplate 15 which is essentially flat and is adapted to act against theside wall 16 of the container or box. The inner bearing plate 15 extendsWell above the upper surface of web 10 and is bent outwardly anddownwardly to provide abight or bend having a horizontal upper bearingplate 17 and a downwardly extending outer bearing plate 18. The hearingplate 13 terminates in a straightlouter edge 19 lying essentially in theplane of the hanger bar 8. The bearing plate 18 also is provided withvertical parallel side edges 20 which merge with the parallelside edges21 of upper bearing plate 17; the side edges 21, in turn, merging withthe parallel side edges 22 of the inner bearing plate and the side edges22 merging with the side edges 14 of the flaring portion 13.

According to the presentinvention, an auxiliary hook denoted by numeral30 is provided for each of the hook members of the hanger bar 8. Theauxiliary hook 30 is formed from a flat rectangular piece of sheet metalwhich is bent into the configuration shown in the drawings.Specifically, the auxiliary hook 30 includes a base 31 which is flat andis spot welded to the upper surface of the end portion of Web 10, midwaybetween the sides 11 and 12. The outer end of base 31 terminatesadjacent the inner bearing plate 15, whence the auxiliary 30 is bentupwardly to provide a shank portion 32 which is disposed inwardlyparallel to and essentially contiguous with the inner surface of thebearing plate 15. Thence, the auxiliary book 30 is bent outwardly toprovide; an upper bearing plate 33 which extends over the upper bearingplate 17. The upper bearing plate 33 is longer than the width of bearingplate 17 and extends outwardly beyond the outer bearing plate 18, theauxiliary hook 30 being bent downwardly to provide an outer bearingplate '34 which is disposed in spaced relationship to and outwardlyparallel to the outer bearing plate. 18. Thus, there is provided,between the outer bearing plate 18 and the outer bearing plate 34, aspace for receiving one ora plurality of plies of fibre board.

It will be understood that while I have, in the preferred embodiment ofthe present invention disclosed an auxiliary hook 30 which is secured bybase 31 to the upper surface of web 10, that the auxiliary hook 30 maybe secured to the hanger bar or to a hook member thereof, in anysuitable way without departing from the scope of the present invention.

In the structure thus far described, I have provided a hanger bar 8formed of an inverted channel member which has, integrally connectedthereto, inverted U- shaped hook members, each hook member havinganauxiliary hook 30, the hook assembly thereby provided being adapted toextend over the upper edge portion of a wardrobe type fibre boardcontainer such as the container disclosed in my U.S.' Patent No.3,026,996.

flap portion 38 is bent inwardly, so as to provide an upper flap 39which extends inwardly, the upper flap 39 being provided w-itha centralslot 35, through which the upper bearing plate 33 of the auxiliary hook230 extends being outwardly adjacent the flap 38.

The hook assembly, therefore, positions the bar 8 in a horizontalposition between the side wall 16 and within the upper portion of thecontainer. By such an arrangement, the bar. 8 of my hanger bar assemblyis spaced downwardly from the top of the container when the top isclosed, thereover. j.

According to the present invention, intermediate the ends orv hookmembers of the bar 8, there are provided a plurality of preferablyevenly spaced, transversely opposed, pairs of clamping elements 40. Inthe preferred form of the present invention, as illustrated in FIGS. 1and 2, each clamping element 40 is formed from a rectangular sheet ofmetal which is bent so as to provide by spot welds 43 to one of thesides, such as side 11-or 12.. The central portion of clamping element40, im- .mediately above base 41, is bent inwardly, at numeral 42, toprovidea jaw member 44 which converges upwardly above web 10 toward asimilar jaw member 44 of an opposed clamping element 40. The upper endof the jaw member 44'is then bent outwardly to provide ahorizontalbearing plate 45 in essentially the same plane with In other words, thebearing plate 17 of the present invention is bent outwardly to provide ahorizontal bearing essentially in the same plane with the upper bearingplate 4 I upper bearing plates 17 of the hook members of the hanger bar8.

It is therefore seen that I have provided opposed pairs of clampingelements 40 at spaced distances longitudinally along the hanger bar 8.These clamping elements 40 are provided with transversely spacedupwardly converging, jaw members 44 which extend upwardly from theedges. of web 10 and are spaced apart sufficiently at their upper end toreceive, therebetween, a pair of plies 53 which may be in the form ofend flanges on the ends of the top flaps 52 of a container.

All of the clamping elements 40 on one side of the axis of web 10 are inalignment, and all of the clamping elements 40 on the opposite side ofthe center line of web 10 are in alignment, so that the jaw members 44on one side of'web' 10 are in a common plane which converges toward thecommon plane of the other jaw members 44. Further, all of'the'bearingplates 45 lie in essentially a horizontal plane spaced from and parallelto the plane of web 10. The transverse space between the bent portions42 of the clamping elements 40 is approximately equal to the width ofthe web 10 while the space between the jaw members 44 at their upperends is approximately equal to the width of two plies 53 of the fibreboard container.

In some instances, it may be a transverse space, less than twice thethickness of the fibre board, between the upper ends of the opposedpairs 'of jaw members 44 so that the plies or flanges 53 are deformedslightly as they are received there-between and hence are'heldfrictionally in place.

Referring now to FIG. 3 of the drawing, it will be seen that, in someinstances, it may be found desirable to provide opposed clampingelements 140 in place of the clamping elements 40. Otherwise, the hangerbar assembly is identical to the construction illustrated in FIGS. 1 and2. In more detail, .the clamping elements 140, shown in FIG. 3 are eachformed from a rectangular sheet of metal which is bent'so as to providea flat, rectangular base 141 which is anchored as by spot welding, toone of the sides of hanger bar 108, such as sides 111 or 112. The upperend of the base 141 is bent inwardly, at numeral 142 to provide, a jawmember 144 which extends inwardly and upwardly with respect to the webof the hanger bar 108,'the jaw member 144 terminating above web110 inthe upwardly extending jaw plate 143, the jaw plate 143 disposedessentially vertically and being spaced inwardly from the sides 111 and112 of the bar 103. The upper end of jaw plate 143 is, then, plate 145found desirable to provide (not shown) of the hook members of the hangerbar 108.

It will therefore, be seen that I have provided opposed pairs ofclamping elements at spaced distances longitudinally along the hangerbar 168. These clamping elements 140 are provided with jaw members 144which extend upwardly and inwardly in upwardly converging planes aboveweb 110, the jaw plates 143 being therefore disposed in spaced parallelplanes, perpendicular to the plane of web 119. Thus, all of the jawplates 143 on one side of the axis of Web 110 lie in essentially thesame vertical plane, and all of the jaw plates 143 on the opposite sideof centerline of web 110 lie in a plane parallel to the aforesaid plane.It will be understood however, that the clamping elements 140 shown inFIG. 3 func tion in a similar manner to the clamping elements 40in'FIGS. l and 2, as will be explained hereinafter.

According to the present invention a hanger retaining member 60 isformed from a flat, relatively rigid, rectangular sheet of metal, whichis bent slightly along its longitudinal axis to provide an apex orcommon edge 61 which extends throughout the length of the rectangularber 60 is substantially the length of bar 8 or 10 and includes a pair ofdiverging flanges 62 and 63, the parallel outer longitudinal edges 64and 65 which are parallel to common edge 61. The distance between edges64 and 65 is approximately equal to the width of web or 11% i.e. equalto the widest distance between the clamping elements 40 or 140.

As seen best in FIGS. 2 and 3, the retaining member 65) is adapted, whenthe hangers, such as hangers 9 or 109 are received over the hanger bar 8or 108 to be manually urged down between the clamping elements 40 or 140so as to lie essentially parallel to and immediately above the web 10 or110 so as to clamp there-between, the hooks of the hangers 9 or 109. Inthe embodiments illustrated in FIGS. 2 and 3, the transverse distancefrom the corner adjacent bent portion 42 or 142, i.e. the corner definedby one clamping member 40 or 140 and web 10 or 110, to the inclinedsurface of the opposite jaw member 44 or 144 is slightly less than widthof retaining member 60 as defined by the distance between edge 64 and65. Hence, in installing the retaining member 60 on bar 8 or 108, theedge 64, for example, is placed adjacent the corners defined by allclamping members 40 or 140, on one side of web 11) or 110. Thereafter,the retaining member 60 is pushed downwardly so that edge 65 slidesalong the inclined inner surfaces of all jaw members 44 or 144 adjacentthereto and spring automatically such that the retaining member 69pivots downwardly about edge 64 and is biased into place on top of theback of hangers 9 or 109, as the jaw members 44 or 144 return to theiroriginal position.

Referring now to FIGS. 5, 6, and 7, it will be seen that in the modifiedform of my invention as illustrated therein, the hanger bar assemblyincludes the bar 208 having a web 210 provided with sides 211 and 212supported by hook members on the ends of the bar 298, the hooks havinginner bearing plates 215, upper bearing plates 217, and outer bearingplates 21%, all constructed in a manner identical to the construction ofthe hanger bar 8 of the preceding embodiment.

In the present embodiment, there are provided transversely opposedclamping members 2% which are spaced inwardly from the hook members onthe ends of bar 208. Each clamping member 24%) includes a fiat,rectangular base 241 which is anchored, for example, by spot welding toone of the sides, such as 211 or 212. The upper end of the base 241 isbent inwardly, at numeral 242 to provide a jaw member 244 which extends,parallel to and spaced from the upper surface of the web 10, to-

ward the axis or centerline of bar 208. Before reaching the centerportion or axis of web 218 the jaw member 244- is bent upwardly toprovide an upstanding jaw plate 242 which is spaced inwardly from thesides 211 and 212 of the bar 298 by the jaw member 244. The upper end ofthe jaw plate 243 is then bent outwardly to provide a horizontal bearingplate 245 essentially in the same plane with the upper bearing plate 217of the hook members of the hanger bar 288.

The retaining member 266 is a flat, rectangular memher which is slightlyshorter than the distance between the hook members of the hanger bar2G8. The retaining member 260 has ends 262 and 263 and side edges 264and 265. The edge portions of the retaining member 260 are provided withopposed pairs of notches 261 intermediate ends 262 and 263, the notches261 corresponding to the number and position of the clamping elements240 of the hanger bar 208. The notches 261 are sufliciently deep thatthe portions of retaining member 260 between the base edges 266 of theopposed pairs of notches, is less than the distance between the jawplates 243 of the transversely opposed clamping members 240.

It will be understood that the spacing longitudinally of the notches 261corresponds to the spacing of the clamping members 248, but the notches261 are offset longitudinally so that they do not register with theclamping members 240 when the retaining member 260 is aligned with theweb 210 of the hanger bar 208. When, however, the

retaining member 260 is shifted longitudinally, the notches 261 areshifted in registry with the clamping elements 240 and the retainingmember 260 may be urged downwardly as illustrated in FIG. 6. Hence, theconstruction of retaining member 260 is such that the distance from thenotches 261 adjacent end 262 to the end 262 is greater than the distancefrom their corresponding clamping elements 246 to the hook member atthat end of the hanger bar 208. Thus, the end 262 rides upon the upperbearing plate 217 of the hook members of the hanger bar 208 when notches261 are aligned with their respective clamping elements 248. When theretaining member 260 is urged downwardly, its end 262 flexes, ridingupon the upper bearing plate 217 while the remaining portion of theretaining member 260 is urged against upper surface of the lower portionthe hangers such as hanger 209 carried by the web 210. Thereafter, theretaining member 266 may be shifted laterally so that the end portion,adjacent the end 262 is moved off of the upper bearing plate 217 andsnaps down adjacent the web 210, as the wider portions adjacent thenotches 261 move beneath the jaw members 244 of the clamping members240. In such a position, the end 262 is disposed adjacent the bearingplate 215 at one end of bar 208 while the end 263 is disposed adjacentthe bearing plate 215 and the other end, thereby restricting furtherlongitudinal movement of the retaining element 260. In such a position,the hooks of hangers 269 are retained firmly in place between theretaining member 260 and the web 214 of the hanger bar 268.

Since the edges 61, 62 and 261, 262 are aligned with sides 11, 12 and211, 212, respectively and are spaced from the webs 10, 210 by the hooksof the hangers received therebetween, these edges are accessible bypliers or other tools so the retaining members 60 and 260 may be readilyremoved.

The inverted U-shaped structure of the retaining member 66 permits it toreceive thereover, either a circular hook of a hanger, such as hanger109 illustrated in FIG. 3 or the linear portion of a hook of a hanger,such as hanger 9, of FIG. 2.

Particularly when the linear hook hangers 9 or 209 are employed, theretaining members 60 and 260 prevent the garments, carried on thesehangers, from swinging about the hanger bar 8, 108 or 208. This, inturn, prevents the clothing carried on the hangers from rubbing againstthe sides of the container.

It is now seen that the retaining members 60 and 260 function torestrain the hooks of hangers 9, 109 and 209 from any appreciableswinging movement or sliding movement on the hanger bars 8, 108, and208, as well as to restrain any tendency of the hanger hooks to beinadver tently dislodged from the bars 8, 188 and 2&8. Hence 1r)etainingmembers 60 and 260 serve as restraining memers.

It will also be noted that since the retaining members 6% and 264 aresubstantially the same width and length as the hanger bars 8, 168 and208, the hook members on the ends of the hanger bars 8, 108 and 288prevent any appreciable longitudinal movement of the retaining members60 and 269 While the clamping elements 40, and 240 prevent anyappreciable lateral or transverse move ment of the retaining members 60and 260 so as to confine the retaining members 60 and 260 above thehanger bars 8, 168 and 208.

The auxiliary hooks, such as hook 30, in addition to providingadditional support for the hanger bar 8, when the upper bearing plate 33of the auxiliary hook 30 engages the upper edge of the outer flapportion 38, confines the outer flap portion 38 from outward movementsince the outer bearing plate 34 is flat against the outer surface ofouter flap portion 38.

It will be obvious to those skilled in the art that many variations maybe made in the embodiments chosen for the purpose of illustrating thepresent invention Without departing from the scope thereofas defined bythe appending claims.

- I claim:

1.In a hanger bar assembly of the type having a hanger bar adapted to bedisposed horizontally fort-receiving over its upper surface hooks ofhangers, the combination therewith of a restraining member for extendingover said hooks and clamping means rigidly secured on opposite sides ofsaid hanger bar and having portions extending over the upper surface ofsaid hanger bar for receiving and holding said restraining member, saidsportions of said clamping means defining above the upper surface ofsaid bar a wholly open area for the free ingress and egress of saidrestraining member.

2. In a hanger bar assembly of the type having a .hanger bar adapted tobe disposed horizontally for receiving over its upper surface hooks ofhangers, the combination therewith of a restraining member for extendingover said hooks and clamping means rigidly secured on opposite sides ofsaid hanger bar and having portions extending above the upper surface ofsaid hanger bar for receiving and holding said restraining member, saidportions of said clamping means defining above the upper surface of saidbar .a wholly open area for the free ingress and egress of saidrestraining member, said hanger bar and said restraining member beingessentially the same length, said restraining member having a peakedcentral portion to accommodate 'both linear and circular portions ofsaid hooks.

3. In a hanger bar assembly of the type having a hanger bar adapted tobe disposed horizontally for receiving over its upper surface hooks-ofhangers, the combination therewith of a restraining member for extendingover said hooks and clamping means mounted on opposite sides of saidhanger bar and having portions extending above the upper surface of saidhanger bar for receiving and holding said restraining member, saidportions of said clamping means defining above the upper surface of saidbar a wholly open area for the free ingress and egress of saidrestraining member, said hanger bar and said restraining member beingessentially the same length, said restraining member having a peakedcentral portion to accommodate both linear and circular portions of saidhooks, said hanger bar having an essentially flat rectangular uppersurface, said restraining member being essentially rectangular and ofsubstantially the same width as said upper surface of said hanger bar.

4. In a hanger bar assembly of the type having a hanger bar adapted tobe disposed horizontally for receiving over its upper surface hooks ofhangers, the combination therewith of a restraining member for extendingover said hooks and clamping elements mounted on opposite sides of saidhanger bar and having portions extending above the upper surface of saidhanger bar for receiving and holding said restraining member, saidportions of said clamping means defining'above the upper surface of saidbar a wholly open area for therfree ingress and egress of saidrestraining member, said hanger bar and said restraining member beingessentially the same length, said restraining member having a peakedcentral portion to accommodate both linear and circular portions ofhooks, said hanger bar being relatively rigid and said clamping elementsbeing relatively flexible, said clamping elements defining restrictedwidth portions slightly more narrow than the width of said restrainingmember such that said restraining member, temporarily deforms certain ofsaid clamping elements as said restraining member is urged downwardlytoward said upper surface of said hanger bar.

5. A hanger bar assembly of the type having a straight hanger bar whichis adapted to be disposed horizontally in a container for receiving aplurality of hooks of hangers thereon, said hanger bar having alongitudinal axis, the combination therewith of a plurality of clampingelements secured to said hanger bar and extending above said hangerbar-on opposite sides of said longitudinal axis, said clamping elementswhich are disposed on one side of said longitudinal axis, convergingtoward said clamping elements which are disposed on the other side of.said longitudinal axis, and a relatively thin retaining member removablydisposed between said clamping elements and above said hanger bar forengaging the upper surface of said hooks of said hangers, said retainingmember being engaged by said clamping elements and being biased towardsaid hanger bar, the transverse distance between the converging portionsof said clamping elements on opposite sides of said longitudinal axisbeing less than the width of said retaining member to retard outwardmovement of said retaining member awayfrom said hanger bar, saidclamping elements having portion protruding above said retaining memberfor receiving the flaps of the container when said flaps are folded oversaid hanger bar.

6. A hanger bar assembly of the type having a straight hanger bar whichis adaptedto be dis-posed horizontally in a container for receiving aplurality of hooks of hangers thereon, said hanger bar having ahookmember on each end and a longitudinal axis, said hook member engagingthe upper edges of the sides of said container when said hanger barassembly is attached to said container, the combination therewith of aplurality of clamping elements secured to said hanger bar and extendingabove said hanger bar on opposite sides of said longitudinal axis, saidclamping elements which are disposed on 'one side of said longitudinalaxis, converging toward said clamping elements which are disposed on theother side of said longitudinal axis, and a relatively thin retainingmember removably disposed between said clamping elements and above saidhanger bar for engaging the upper surface width of saidretaining memberto retard outward movement of said retaining member away from saidhanger bar, said clamping elements having portions protruding above saidretaining member for receiving the flaps of the container when saidflaps are folded over said hanger bar, and auxiliary hooks carried bysaid hanger bar and disposed outwardly of said hook members for engagingadditional plies of said fibre board container.

7. In a hanger bar assembly of the type having a hanger bar forreceiving hooks of hangers thereover, and hook members on the endsrofsaid hanger bar for extending over the upper edges of the sides of fibreboard conta-iner, the combination therewith of auxiliary hooks carriedby said hanger bar, said auxiliary hooks each including an upper bearingplate extend-ing outwardly of said hook members and an outer bearingplate extending downwardly from the outer end of said upper bearingplate, said upper bearing plate being adapted to engage an edge of anadditional ply of said fibre board, said outer bearing plate beingadapted to engage the outer surface of said 7 each of said hooksincluding an inner bearing plate, an

outer bearing plate essentially parallel to said inner bearing plate and'an upper bearing plate joining the ends of said inner bearing plate andsaid outer bearing plate, and a flaring portion joining said innerbearing plate to said bar, said flaring portion being arcuate betweenthe web of said bar and said inner bearing plate, a plurality of opposedpairs of clamping elements extending outwardly from said bar, each ofsaid clamping elements including a base fixed to one of said sides, ajaw member extending above said Web, a bearing plate on the end of saidjaw member lying in about the plane of the upper 5 bearing plates ofsaid hooks, the jaw members of each opposed pair of clamping membersbeing in spaced upwardly converging condition with respect to eachother, and a relatively rigid member removably carried between saidopposed pairs of clamping elements for restraining 10 the movement ofsaid hooks of said hangers on said bar.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS Batts 206-7 Batts211-124 X Suter 2067 X Ginsberg 2067 Graci 211-124 MeCrone 211-124Belsinger 206-7 CLAUDE A. LE ROY, Primary Examiner.

1. IN A HANGER BAR ASSEMBLY OF THE TYPE HAVING A HANGER BAR ADAPTED TO BE DISPOSED HORIZONTALLY FOR RECEIVING OVER ITS UPPER SURFACE HOOKS OF HANGERS, THE COMBINATION THEREWITH OF A RESTRAINING MEMBER FOR EXTENDING OVER SAID HOOKS AND CLAMPING MEANS RIGIDLY SECURED ON OPPOSITE SIDES OF SAID HANGER BAR AND HAVING PORTIONS EXTENDING OVER THE UPPER SURFACE OF SAID HANGER BAR FOR RECEIVING AND HOLDING SAID RESTRAINING MEMBER, SAID PORTIONS OF SAID CLAMPING MEANS DEFINING ABOVE THE UPPER SURFACE OF SAID BAR A WHOLLY OPEN AREA FOR THE FREE INGRESS AND EGRESS OF SAID RESTRAINING MEMBER. 